Creating a Den with that Extra Room

If you have an empty room in your house, consider turning it into a den. It may be that the children have moved out and there is a free bedroom. Or you may have space in your basement that you have finally turned your eye to but you haven’t decided what to do with it. Think “den.”

The word den is a nice one because it covers a lot of ground. Your den could be for anything. Generally, when we say den we think comfortable and cozy. But even those words can be defined however you like since we all have our own ideas about what is comfortable.

The first step in turning a room into a den is deciding who it is for. Put another way, who will be using it? Question number two is, what will they be using it for?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can really get started. First step, move everything that is currently in the room out. Like a painter, you want to start with an empty canvas.

Choose the room’s color keeping in mind the answers to the questions you asked earlier: who is using it and what are they using it for. When choosing colors for paint, also remember the ceiling. Think of it as a fifth wall. You may want to give it a color that matches your walls or you want to compliment or contrast with the room’s walls. You can also consider painting one of those four walls a color that compliments or contrasts with the other three.

What furniture will go in this room? Dens are often smaller rooms, so this is a very important element. Finding a balance between furnishing the room and avoiding a cluttered look isn’t always easy. If this den is to also function as an office, you’ll be thinking of things like desks and chairs. If it is a media room, you’ll be thinking of comfortable furniture like sofas, loveseats and other items.

On the other hand, if the room will function as a meditation room you may want to focus more on mats and much less furniture.

When the focus is media, you need to consider the electrical aspects. How many outlets does the room have? Are they placed conveniently? On the other hand, if you think of this den as a meditation room this won’t be as much of an issue.

For some uses, you may want to consider adding such things as a small refrigerator – even a small kitchenette if space allows and this enhances the room’s purpose.

A den can mean many things. One thing is certain, however. Before you start on your changes you should know who it is for and how it will be used. Knowing those two things will determine everything else.